October Studio News

Enrollment and Swap List

The studio is now filled to capacity and I am no longer accepting students for the 2013-2014 school year. Thank you once again for your kind words and referrals! I would like to formally welcome our newest students this year: Leah, Katie, Zoe, Maddy and Autumn.

The Swap List has changed slightly over the past few weeks, so please refer to the UPDATED version, which was emailed to all of you on 9/30, should you need to swap lessons with another student.

Fall Performance Class: Costume Recital/Halloween Party

Our first Performance Class of the year will be held on Wednesday, October 30 from 4:00-5:00 pm. Please note that this group Performance Class takes the place of private lessons; there are NO PRIVATE LESSONS that week. This performance is for STUDENTS ONLY. Though we hate to exclude the parents, it gives the students a rare opportunity to work on performance skills in front of a forgiving audience of their peers.

For this performance, students should arrive fully dressed in either a costume or pajamas, and be prepared to perform 1-2 pieces that fit the following criteria:

• Any Halloween or autumn themed piece
• Anything in a minor key
• Anything that pertains to their chosen costume

The students always look forward to this time of year, and some of them have already begun working on their Halloween repertoire. Through the month of October, we will be focusing on minor music (sounds scary, sad or mysterious) and choosing repertoire. Please ask to hear your child's recital piece so he/she has a chance to practice their performance skills.

Music Makes a Difference Contest

After one month of lessons, our donation jar is already up to an astounding $17.30! This means that the studio has collectively learned over 340 pieces since the beginning of September. Students earn $.05 for completing an assigned piece, and an additional $.01 for a flawless performance. The money will be donated to the Friends of Music at the end of December. Way to go, everyone - - and keep up the great work!

Piano Mania: Practice Game for iPad

This app for iPad, Piano Mania, has been getting rave reviews by my colleagues.  For a short time, the app is available for FREE on iTunes.  I do not own an iPad, but for those of you who do, it might be worth it to take a look.

Here is the download link on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id604699751?mt=8

Description: http://www.joytunes.com/piano/pianomania.php.
Piano Mania makes practice time fun & effective.

JoyTunes, Winners of “World Summit Award” from the United Nations (most creative e-content) and “Parents’ Choice award”, knows how to make practicing the piano fun! Check out our 5-star reviews:

-“It's an awesome game!! And teaching to play piano!!! LOVE LOVE IT!! Can’t stress enough how u should download this app ASAP!”
-“It’s really helping me to be a better pianist!”
Master each rank to open the next, all while improving your sight reading, rhythm, technique, playing two hands and much more.

Rank by rank, unleash the Mozart in you!

From a single note to complete pieces, Piano Mania makes sheet music comes to life.
- Learn to read sheet music notation and symbols
- Play melodies in both treble and bass clefs
- Choose between right hand, left hand or both hands simultaneously
-“Connect to your teacher” feature- impress your PIANO TEACHER with your new found skills
- Progress up in ranks, collecting SKILL POINTS as you play
- New songs and levels added every month!
- Purchase a subscription service to enjoy the full journey of playing all Piano Mania levels and songs
- Teachers praise, “Congratulations on founding one of the greatest programs I have ever seen. This is truly a fantastic way of learning music.. The kids LOVE it....”

SONG LIBRARY INCLUDES:

Beginners' classics:
•Jingle Bells
•Vivaldi's Spring.
•Mary had a Little Lamb
•When The Saints Go Marching In

Popular hits:
•Just the way you are (Bruno Mars)
•Gangam Style (Psy)
•Don’t stop believing (Journey)
•Make you feel my love (Adele)

And many many more… 

"Music Makes a Difference" program

This past summer, my studio started a new program "Music Makes a Difference." I wanted to create an opportunity for students to work together, and giving back to our local community seemed like a good way to start.

Through the months of June, July and August, students earned $.05 for each piece they mastered, plus an additional $.01 for a flawless performance. Through their hard work, we collected $17.05 for the Marshfield Food Pantry. I then threw in some extra to "round it up" to an even $25.00.  All of the kids signed the card and we sent it off last week.  Just to add a little bit of friendly competition, I recorded and tallied each of the students individual contributions.  Our highest earner was Avery S. and she was rewarded with a Rock n Roll book for her efforts.

Last week, much to my delight, the kids in the studio voted unanimously to keep this great thing going! We came up with a list of charities, and I was pleased by some of the kids' choices.   

The votes have been counted, and the next recipient will be the Marshfield Friends of Music group.

Other suggestions included:
- Marshfield Kids at Play
- The Molly Fund
- The Marshfield Animal Shelter
- Sowing Seeds
- Mattie Miracle Fund
- Forgotten Voices

The current contest will run through Christmas, so let's see how much we can earn this time around. 

Way to go, everyone!! I love to see you all working together for a great cause. ♫

Practice, Practice, Practice

When students start piano lessons, one of the things we talk about at the first lesson is practicing.  I explain what my expectations are, and we discuss various strategies.

As students get older and progress to more difficult literature, we again go over different strategies and goals.  It is good to revisit these tips from time to time, and the start of a new school year seems as good a time as any to go over them again.

Tips for Successful Practicing

- Practice once from beginning to end, noting the difficult sections.
- Go back and spot practice.  Play the difficult measures over and over, starting out slowly and gradually getting faster.  Rolling a die to determine the number of repetitions to play a measure can be a fun game.
- Once you have spot practiced the difficult measures, try playing the piece all the way through again.
- For younger students, play each piece THREE times through before moving on to the next piece.

- Do not start at the beginning and play to the end every single time!  Spot practice is the key.
- Set very specific goals.  For example, the first time through, you might focus on dynamics (f, p, crescendos, etc.)  The next time, focus on articulation (staccato, legato, accents, etc.)
- Practice until you CAN'T get it wrong.
- Practice 5-6 days per week.  Allow yourself a 24 hour "no piano allowed" period to rest.
- Remember: The secret to mastering the piano is successful practicing.


NPR published a series about the young musician, and this article is about getting kids to practice without tears or tantrums.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2013/09/03/216906386/10-easy-ways-to-optimize-your-music-practice?sc=fb&cc=fmp

Find even more tips here:
http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-many-hours-a-day-should-you-practice/

Happy practicing!  And please feel free to contact me if practicing ever becomes an issue for your child.